'42nd Street' captivates with glitz By Jayne Blanchard for The Washington Times

Duck and cover: Flying feet at the National Theatre. A huge chorus of hard-drilled tap dancers blisters the floorboards in the new revival of "42nd Street," a glib and glitzy entertainment that showcases not only a bevy of dancers at the peak of their athletic prowess, but also two old-fashioned songsmiths who could manufacture catchy ditties with the best of them.

With "Dames at Sea," a spoof of those stage-door-fantasy movie musicals of the 1930s, at Olney and now "42nd Street" downtown, Washington is in full-throttle escapism mode. And boy, do we need it.

This is the touring ensemble from the 2001 Broadway production that won a Tony Award for best musical revival — the 1980 show's first Broadway reprise — and the company has a Broadway sheen.

Expect no revelations, however. "42nd Street" has been produced frequently in the Southland. While this touring production has a bigger cast, a few different songs and a glossier look than some of the other revivals, it's not on a significantly higher level than the better local efforts

The review is actually from the touring company's recent Orange County Performing Arts Center run of "42nd Street." [url=http://www.calendarlive.com/stage/cl-et-shirley12jul12,0,1469221.story?coll=cl-stage-features] July article from LA Times[/url]

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The timing couldn't be better for a show like "42nd Street" to make the rounds again. <a href=http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030715/review_nm/review_stage_street_dc_1 target=_blank>more on Yahoo</a>

'42nd Street' tappers help keep dance legacy alive By Chad Jones for The Alameda Times Star

FOR decades, the United States was the tap-happiest country in the world. A truly American art form grown out of African and European dance styles, tap began to reverberate in the mid-19th century, then fully exploded in the early 20th century both on Broadway and in newfangled talking pictures. From the 1920s into the 1960s, tap dancing was the gold standard of show biz hoofing. Sure, there were artists like Agnes de Mille and Jerome Robbins blending ballet, jazz and tap to create a more sophisticated style of Broadway dance. But tap remained the sure-fire way to get audiences grinning.

You can't beat all those feet on '42nd Street' Berkeley's numbers still steal the show

Robert Hurwitt, Chronicle Theater Critic

Feet. Dozens of them, moving in unison, tapping their little hearts out -- or, perhaps, soles off. In the immortal lyrics of Al Dubin (and music of Harry Warren), the song "42nd Street" entices the listener to "Come and meet/ those dancing feet," and the musical of the same name wastes no time making that point.

She goes out there a youngster, and maybe she'll come back a star. But it hasn't happened yet. That's the uncertain life of an understudy in '42nd Street.'

Leba Hertz SF Chronicle

Peg and Greg Helland traveled 5,859 miles from Stockton to Moscow to see their daughter, Tiffany, perform in "42nd Street." They had no problem picking her out onstage, despite the fact she didn't really have a huge role -- she was in the chorus.

We all know the story, now an American myth: Sweet young thing goes to the big city and gets into the chorus of a splashy show. Sweet young thing's talent catches the director's eye; when she goes on for the injured leading lady, she becomes an instant star.

...

Tuesday night, the show that set the myth in stone comes to Salt Lake City when "42nd Street" opens at the Capitol Theatre. But is the story immortalized in "42nd Street" that far-fetched? No, says Daren Kelly, who plays director Julian Marsh in this production. "I've lived in New York for 30 years," Kelly says, "and I almost believe everything people tell me because so many crazy things happen in New York. I've had friends who were cast in understudy roles and have gone on in major parts on Broadway, and it's turned their whole career around."

The story is familiar: Small-town girl tries her luck at showbiz in wicked Manhattan, and -- surprise! -- she becomes a Broadway star. Despite the transparent plot, there are plenty of reasons not to miss the national touring production of "42nd Street," now playing at Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake City. Yes, it is silly, but this show will wrench a smile out of the most unwilling curmudgeon.

The moment the curtain goes up -- only three feet at first -- to reveal endless rows of tap-dancing feet, the audience knows to expect a grand dose of old-fashioned razzamatazz. Sequined costumes, scads of handsome men and beautiful women, costumes both wacky and gorgeous -- it's all there. But the real delight is in the way this show pays affectionate homage to Old Broadway, while gently sending up 1930s song-and-dance musicals.

That sound you hear, that rhythmic metallic thunder, is a special kind of smile-inducing showbiz joy. It ricochets from the dozens of dancing feet in 42nd Street, nestles in your heart and demands that you show those hard-working hoofers some love.

There’s a pleasing synchronicity when life imitates art within the context of art imitating life. Such is the case with Mara Davi, the young California State sophomore who has the lead role of Peggy Sawyer in the national tour of 42nd Street, which comes to the Providence Performing Arts Center January 4 through 9.

At the beginning of auditions for the national touring production of “42nd Street,” Davi was simply one tap dancer/actress in a bevy of hopefuls. By the end, she was a stand out, winning the role of Peggy Sawyer, the female lead in the Tony award-winning musical playing theLandmark Theater from Dec. 28 to Jan. 2.

'42nd Street' bustles with energyTalk about your fancy footwork. The moment the lights come up on "Audition," the opening number of the musical "42nd Street," the North Shore Music Theatre stage nearly explodes with the energy of two dozen tap dancers. Director Charles Repole and choreographer Michael Lichtefeld set the bar very high with this turbo-powered, razor-sharp production number, but to their credit the cast seems to crank the energy level even more as the show unfolds.

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